The Grand Duke Who Wants Me Dead Is Surprisingly Kind - Chapter 1

Chapter 1.1

Clink.

On the quiet table, a teacup sat, filled with clear tea.

“Drink this while you listen.”

The man, his voice cold and detached, placed a square envelope beside the teacup as he spoke.

“These are the divorce papers. It would be best if you signed them.”

His tone was dry and curt, as if everything had already been decided long ago. Anais, at a loss for words, stared blankly at the teacup, her eyes clouded with confusion.

Whoosh—

The violent blizzard that had battered against the sturdy windows moments before now weakened despite its earlier ferocity. In that heavy stillness, Anais slowly raised the teacup to her lips. As she drank, the man turned and strode brusquely toward the window.

With his back turned to her, he continued coldly.

“I’ll provide enough alimony. I want you to leave the empire. I’d prefer to avoid the awkwardness of running into each other again.”

Anais’s hand tightened around the teacup, flinching momentarily as her grip tightened, but she didn’t set it down.

“You know very well how much damage this marriage has caused for both me and the imperial family. I won’t change my mind about the divorce.”

When Anais finally emptied the teacup, the man spat his final words.

“Sign the papers while there’s still something left for you to take.”

Whoooosh—

A faint, sorrowful breeze slipped once more through the cracks in the window. At that moment, a sharp pain, like a blade slashing across her throat, tore through Anais.

Crash.

The cup slipped from her hand as she choked, something rising uncontrollably in her throat.

“Guhk.”

Then, bright red blood spilled over her pale fingers.

Pii—

A sharp, piercing ring filled her ears as her vision began to blur. The pain was so intense she thought dying would be easier. Meanwhile, her breath caught in her throat as though an invisible force were strangling her from within. Her vision dissolved into a white haze, blotting out her surroundings until she could no longer see.

As her strength failed her, Anais crumpled to the floor beneath the chair she had been sitting in.

Thud.

It wasn’t until she lay motionless on the cold floor that the realization hit her.

‘…He poisoned the tea. To kill me.’

Through her fading consciousness, she caught a glimpse of the man’s black shoes moving hastily. A bitter thought surfaced that perhaps he was already calling for someone to dispose of her body quietly.

‘Death comes so easily.’

A hollow laugh escaped her lips, mocking her own plight, before her heart sank into unfathomable sorrow.

‘So this is how it was meant to end.’

And with that final thought, she closed her eyes in desolate silence.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

Thud!

Anais jolted awake at the sound of the rattling carriage, cold sweat clinging to her skin. Her already pale face, as white as her bright silver hair, looked ghostly and drawn.

“….”

The dream she had just awoken from was disturbingly vivid.

‘A prophetic dream.’

Having glimpsed the future through dreams before, she was certain. Yet, frustratingly, she couldn’t recall the face of the man who killed her.

‘Who was he? Someone I’ve never seen before…’

As her body trembled slightly, she clenched her hands into fists, trying to stop the shaking.

‘It’s okay. It hasn’t happened yet. Now that I know, I can avoid it…’

Forcing herself to breathe steadily, Anais cautiously lifted her wavering violet eyes to survey her surroundings. The sight of the carriage’s worn, aged interior finally allowed her to relax. Still dressed in her lavish, ornate gown, she turned her gaze toward the window to conceal her expression.

‘If he mentioned divorce, then he must be my husband… but no, that can’t be…’

As she turned the thought over and over in her mind, watching the golden wheat fields race past the window, a rough voice suddenly cut through her reverie.

“Baron Francis is a magnate who owns the most fertile farmland in the west! Haha!“

She turned to see her father, Nectar Orelcian, grinning greedily as he stared out at the sprawling fields, as if they already belonged to him.

“So you’d better make a good impression. They say he’s looking for a third wife to bear him a son.”

“….”

The marriage negotiations Nectar had once hoped to arrange with high-ranking nobles or the imperial family had fallen apart long ago. That was why he chose Baron Francis, a man who, instead of demanding a dowry, would pay a hefty bride price.

“Do you understand?”

“….”

He raised his brows, pressing for an answer, but Anais couldn’t bring herself to speak. The thought of death, looming so near, gnawed at her mind.

‘Was Baron Francis the one who killed me?’

As Anais sat frozen in place, her father’s furious roar suddenly filled the carriage.

“Where is your head?! Answer me now!”

His face twisted in rage as he glared at her.

When Anais saw his hand lift as if to strike her, she flinched, clenching her trembling hands tightly in her lap before finally managing to whisper a reply.

“…Yes, Father.”

⸝⸝ Nabi’s Note: ˚‎ ༘☆

Noted that the chapters for this novel are going to be split in half, which will also lessen the pressure on the translating staff involved. However, they’ll be numbered normally to make things simple. Since splitting into parts like this lessens the pressure on the translator, I’ll update more often to compensate for the length!

Thank you as always for your constant support and understanding! ♡